by Jeff Gluck, USA TODAY Sports

by Jeff Gluck, USA TODAY Sports

Blocking remained a topic of conversation in NASCAR on Tuesday, more than a week after Tony Stewart fought with Joey Logano on pit road in Fontana, Calif., incensed over the latter driver's block in the final laps of the Auto Club 400.

"To me, it's just a chicken way of driving and not very respectful to the guys around you," said Stewart's teammate, Ryan Newman. "You're there to race, you're not there to block."

Later, NASCAR's most popular driver and current points leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he would "expect and accept to be blocked in certain situations."

Newman said during a teleconference Tuesday that blocking is "just something I don't do," adding he understood why Stewart confronted Logano over the move. The feud may still be going by the time NASCAR arrives at Martinsville Speedway this weekend - the first race since the altercation.

In a later teleconference, Earnhardt, who took the points lead at Auto Club Speedway on March 24, said he wasn't taking sides but called the incident "hard racing." Both drivers were going for the win on a late restart.

"The guy is leading the race, he's trying to do what he can to win," Earnhardt said. "I don't like to get run in the fence or run in the grass. If you give me enough racetrack, I can't really get too upset about a guy trying to maintain his position, especially at the end of the race."

Earnhardt said every driver will have a different opinion and it depends on how late in the race the block occurs; there is no set code for blocking. It's unwise at restrictor-plate tracks, because it invites the other driver to turn the blocker (the runs at those tracks usually have more momentum). But during certain situations at other tracks, Earnhardt said, "that's your only alternative."

"I'm not going to say I've never blocked anybody, because I have," he said. "You do. You will. ... But you've got to give people racing room or expect to get turned around or make people upset."

As for Logano and Stewart, it's unclear whether the two drivers are still at odds, which could manifest itself into more action at Martinsville's 0.526-mile layout.

"I don't know if they talked, plan on talking or will never talk again," Newman said.